Vine feeder



June 5, 1962 3,03 7,668

V. N. JARRELL VINE FEEDER 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1960 INVENTORATTORNEYS June 5, 1962 v. N. JARRELL 3,037,668

VINE FEEDER Filed 0G13. 5, 1960 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 iQ Q //5 //J y j /25/24 @l KN INVENTOR V. N. JARRELL VINE FEEDER June 5, 1962 U IN VENTRyzl//ffel/ MM ATTORNEYS Filed Oct. 5. 1960 June 5, 1962 v. N. JARRELL3,037,668

VINE FEEDER Filed Oct. 5, 1960 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 QBI l\ N INVENTOR V. N.JARRELL June 5, 1962 VINE FEEDER 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 5, 1960 lINVENTOR Q /lyz//Q/ff'el/ ATTORNEYS u ga June 5, 1962 Filed Oot. 5, 1960v. N. JARRx-:LL 3,037,668

VINE FEEDER 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 I N VEN TOR @faire/l BY l 77/ Wdww@ATTORNEYS V. N. JARRELL June 5, 1962 VINE FEEDER 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed001i. 5, 1960 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Vigil IIIe/drywall@ June 5, 1962 v. N..JARRELL 3,037,668

VINE FEEDER Filed oct. 5, 1960 s sheets-sheet a rif-Es FME ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent O 3,037,668 VINE FEEDER Virgil N. Jarrell, Viola,Del. Filed Oct. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 60,719 18 Claims. (Cl. 222-56) Thisinvention relates to loading machines, and particularly to machines ofthe general type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,842,255, issued.Iuly 8, 1958, for feeding vines to apparatus for processing where it isdesirable to feed the vines at a uniform rate.

The :machine disclosed in Patent No. 2,842,255 includes a delivery, orinput, conveyor to bring vines into the feeder, a discharge, or output,conveyor to carry vines to the apparatus to be fed, and a transfermechanism to receive vines from the delivery conveyor, weigh them andfeed them at a uniform rate to the discharge conveyor. The weight of thevines passing over the transfer mechanisrn was utilized to regulate thespeed of the input conveyor to obtain a uniform feed rate. Above thetransfer means there are distributors which act upon vines on thetransfer mechanism to level the vine load and push back surplusquantities onto the delivery conveyor.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmachine of this general character.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide such a feederwherein the transfer means will be responsive to both the weight andpressure of the vines being fed to it, to be more readily affected byfluctuations in the rate of feed of the vines being carried to thetransfer means and a more uniform feed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feeder wherein the inputrate will be controlled both by pressure and weight upon the transfermeans and `by the height of the vine pile being fed to the transfermeans so that a more even distribution of vines is possible.

A further object is to provide a machine of this type Where materialbeing advanced over a relatively wide area is concentrated into apredetermined area just prior to discharge from the feeder so that thematerial in the control area will be spread over a greater area for moreeffective control.

Yet another object is the provision of a feeder of this general typewherein the material being fed is delivered to a transfer means ofconsiderable width and the output from the transfer means may be dividedfor feeding two processing machines simultaneously, or directed to oneor the other of the processing machines at the will of the operator.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription of practical embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunctionwith the drawings which accompany, and form part of, this specification.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a feeding machine embodying theprinciples of the present invention:

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View of the feeder;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevation of the machine;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical, partial longitudinal section on an enlargedscale, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of a portion of the conveyorchain and one of the vine-engaging members of the transfer means;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the mechanism at the `discharge end ofthe machine for concentrating the vines being fed into a central areaand for discharging them from that area;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of the drive means for the input conveyor,parts being broken away to more clearly show the operating parts;

3,@3763 Fatcnted June 5, 1962 FIGURE 9 is a perspective View of aportion of the input conveyor and its drive means;

FIGURE "10 is a side elevation of a somewhat modified version of thefeeder;

FIGURE 11 is a top plan view of the feeder shown in FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a section taken on the line 12-12 of FIGURE 10 illustratingthe drive for the discharge conveyors;

FIGURE 13 is a horizontal section through the discharge conveyor drive,taken on the line 13---13y of FIG- URE 10, and showing the drive set todischarge vines to opposite sides of the feeder; and,

FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIGURE 13 but illustrating the drive setto discharge the vines to one side only of the feeder.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first turning to that form ofthe invention shown in FIGURES 1 through 9, it will be seen that theentire feeder is mounted upon a frame 1` which includes sills 2,vertical posts 3, intermediate horizontal members 4 and top rails 5.These elements form side frames which are joined and held in spacedrelation by transverse members 6.

Mounted upon the frame at the forward end is a bin 7 into which vines tobe fed are dumped, and which serves as `a hopper, or storage chamber,for the feeder. The bin has suitable ysides 8, a front Wall 9, and afloor 10. The back of the bin is open to allow free exit of vines. Theupper portions of the side walls flare outwardly for ease of loading,andthe front Wall is relatively low for the same purpose. The front wallconsists of a plurality of vertically extending, transversely spacedslats 1.1, fastened to stringers 12 secured to the side walls. The slatsare yare made of angle irons which are mounted so as to provide Wallssloping toward the spaces between the slats to allow trash to fall outfreely when vines are dumped into the bin.

A conveyor 13 is mounted adjacent lthe bin bottom to move vines from thebin. The conveyor consists of a pair of chains 14, each mounted onsprockets 15 and 16 carried by shafts 17 and 18 journalled on the sills2. Shaft 18 is a driven shaft, and carries a drive mechanism 19 whichwill be described later in detail, The upper flights of the chains rideover the floor 10, and the chains are connected by cross-members 20. Thecross-members between the upper flights of the chains will slide overthe floor carrying vines out of the open end of the bin.

A transfer mechanism 21 is mounted in the frame adjacent the deliveryend of the input conveyor 13. This consists of a pair of longitudinallyextending, transversely spaced feed chains 22 passing around a drum 23and a pair of sprockets 2,4. Drum 23 is mounted on a shaft 25, andsprockets 24 are carried by shaft 26. These shafts are supported uponthe feeder frame in any suitable manner, with appropriate means formaintaining the chains in -tight condition. The support may include -apair of struts 27, mounted between end posts 3 and the horizontal framemember 4, and the chain tightener may be a conventional screw typetightener 2S. A plurality of tooth bars 29 are carried by the chains 22at equally spaced points along the chains. The bars each carry -a numberof gently curving, pointed pickup teeth 30. The teeth are spacedequi-distant along the bars and transversely of the transfer means, Eachbar has a socket 31 at its leading edge adjacent each end to t overpivot pins 32 carried by the chains 22. Thus, unls the tooth bars aresupported, they will fall backwardly, swinging about their pivots 32.

The tooth bars are brought to operative position, wherein the teeth arerigidly held projecting outwardly from the path of movement of thechains, by contact with the underside of the drum 23. As the chainsbegin their upward travel around the drum, the weight of the tooth barswill cause them to fall back tiat against the drum surface. As the teethbegin to pick up vines from the input conveyor at this point, the weightof the vines will tend to hold the bars even more tightly pressedagainst the drum. There is a plate 33 extending the length of the upperflight `of chains 22 from the drum to the sprockets 24 which is tangentto the surface of the drum and forms a continuation of that surface toprovide a support for the tooth bars to hold the teeth in operativeposition while traveling from the drum to the sprockets. The end ofplate 33 at the sprockets 24 is curved about shaft 26 with a curvatureof gradually diminishing radius, as at 34. This permits the tooth barsto gradually fall back as they move about the sprockets, so that `theteeth will move inwardly from the chain path and recede from the vinesbeing carried by the teeth in a direction which is generally lengthwiseof the teeth to permit the teeth to slip out of the vines being movedalong the chain path without disturbing the vine.

The vine feeding means of the transfer mechanism is partially enclosedby a cover- 35, which extends over the top flight of the chains 22,overlies guide plate 33 and curves about the front part of the drum 23;This cover serves a two-fold purpose, and acts'as a' floor over whichthe vines will be moved through the feeder and as a control mechanism todetermine the rate of feed of the input conveyor 13.

The cover consists of a plurality of stripsv36 which extendlongitudinally of the feeder and lie in parallel spaced relationtransversely of the feeder. The spaced strips define a plurality ofparallel slots 37 through which the vine feeding fingers 30 travel asthey move around the forward arc of drum 23 and along the top flight ofthe feed chain. The strips are joined at their rearward, or upper, endsto the front edge of a rearwardly declining shelf 38. Each strip has adepending pedestal 39 at its forward, or lower, end, with all of thepedestals being joined to a transverse support bar 40. Bar 40 is pivotedat its ends to the lower ends of hanger straps 41, which straps arepivotally connected at their upper ends, as at 42 to the intermediatehorizontal frame members 4. Due to the connection of the cover to thepivoted hanger straps, the entire cover is free to move in a fore andaft direction relative to the feeder. Shelf 38 lies upon `a transverselyextending angle member 43 so that it may slide freely relative to itssupport as the cover moves longitudinally of the frame.

It will be obvious, that as the teeth 30 move across the bottom arc ofthe drum and swing into operative position, -they will enter slots 37with their major portions projecting beyond the cover to engage vinesbeing fed by the input conveyor and lift them to the -top of the drumand along the upper surface of the cover strips. The forward edge of theinclined shelf 38 is so positioned relative to the curving portion 34 ofthe plate 33 that it will act in conjunction with the curving portion ofthe plate to hold the teeth against further advancing movement, so thatthey will slip freely and quickly out of the mass of vines being movedalong the cover strips. The vine mass will slide, or be pushed byfollowing vines, down shelf 38 into a trough 44.

It will be understood that the entire surface of the transfer mechanismcover will be utilized -as a floor for the advancing vine mass and,therefore, the vines will fall into trough 44 along the full width ofthe machine and at a uniform rate. In order to increase the feedingcapacity of the machine and yet maintain the vine blanket moving overthe transfer mechanism cover at a relatively low depth, the machine ismade considerably wider than the input end of the apparatus to be fed,and means are provided for condensing vines entering the trough 44 to amass which will not exceed in width the entrance end of the apparatusbeing fed. The condensed mass of vines is moved from the trough by meansof an ejector mechanism 45 out through an exit duct 46.

The duct is formed by a pair of spaced side plates 47, and a bottomwhich is composed of hinged plates 48 and 49. Plate 48 is hinged to theangle iron support 43, as at 50, and plate 48 is hingedly connected, asat 51, to the side plates 47. Referring to FIGURE 5 particularly, itwill be seen that the two plates overlap, and that the rear end of plate49 lies upon the forward end of plate 48. In view of the fact that theltwo plates are mounted at their opposed ends, downward swingingmovement of the plates will result in separation of the two to providean emergency outlet for -vines in the event of jamming in the exitpassageway. The two plates are held in their normal, generallyhorizontal positions with plate 49 overlapping and resting upon plate48, by means of a pair of coiled springs 52 connected to the outerdownturned ends 53 of plate 48 and to brackets 54 mounted on the outsideof the side plates 47. An adjusting means 55 is provided, so that thetensions of the springs can be varied to change the pressure necessaryto force the plates to open position.

In order to concentrate the vines within the trough 44 and bring them tothe exit, a pair of screw type conveyors 56 are provided mounted upon ashaft 57, and extending transversely of the machine within the trough onopposite sides of the center line of the machine. Each of the conveyorsis composed of a cylindrical center portion 58 which carries a vane 59arranged about it in a spiral path. The vanes of the two conveyors willbe oppositely positioned so that rotation of the shaft 57 will cause thetwo conveyors to feed vines toward the center of the machine.

Shaft 57 is discontinuous intermediate the conveyor elements to providespace for a two-throw crank 60. The crank is formed by means of a disk61, concentric to the axes of the cylindrical portions of the conveyorsand spaced centrally between them, and a pair of stub shafts 62 havingtheir ends connected to the cylinders and disk 61 and offset from thecommon axis of the cylinders and disk at diametrically opposed locationsto position the throws of the crank spaced from one another.

The crank is used to impart a tramping action to a 'pair of vineejectors 63. The ejectors consist of horizontally positioned shoes 64,which are channel shaped in transverse cross section and have aplurality of downwardly extending fingers 65, and forwardly inclinedmounting arms 66. Arms 66 are connected by bearings 67 to the throws ofcranks 60. This provides a pivotal mount on the crank for the ejectors.The forward ends of the mounting arms are connected by means of bearings68 to the throws 69 of a crank 70. Crank 70 is journalled at 71 on thetop rail 5 of the feeder frame. The throws of the crankshafts 70l and 60have identical movement, and are identically oriented. Due to thisarrangement the shoes of the two ejectors will move in verticallycircular paths of identical radius and in the same direction but theircycles of operation ,will be 180 out of phase. In order to provide foridentical rotation of the two cranks, shaft 57 is provided with a crankarm 72 and crankshaft 70 `is provided with an identical crank arm 73.The two crank arms are joined by a connecting rod 74. Thus, the twoshafts will be compelled to operate in unison.

It is necessary that some means be provided for removing any excess inthe vine mass which is picked up by the teeth 30 and carried up to thetop of drum 23 to ensure the feeding of a blanket of uniform depth. Inorder to accomplish this, a distributor mechanism 75 is mounted upon theframe over the transfer mechanism, having movable distributor arms 76located above the drum 23. There are a plurality of distributor armsoccupying, and movable in, parallel vertical planes, and connected inpairs to a plurality of distributor bars 77 which are pivotallyconnected at their rearmost ends to a pivot shaft 78. The shaft issuitably mounted in supports 79 on top of the feeder frame. Thedistributor arms are pivotally connected to the forward ends of thedistributor bars by means of pivots 80 which pass through the forwardends of the bars and the upper portions of the distributor arms. Atpoints intermediate their lengths, Ithe distributor arms are connectedto cranks 81 of a crankshaft 82. The crankshaft is journalled inbearings 83 supported upon the top of the frame. Crankshaft 82 may takeany appropriate form, but it has been found convenient to fabricate itfrom a plurality of triangular plates 84 interconnected by pins whichform the crank elements 81 of the shaft. The distributor arms areconnected to the crank elements by means of bearing blocks 85.

By referring to FIGURE 5 of the drawing, it will be seen that whencrankshaft 82 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction the crank pinsare rotated in circular paths causing the distributor arms to rise, tomove rearwardly, to lower, and to move forwardly in amore or lesscircular orbital path. In view of the fact that 'the crank pins areuniformly spaced around the axis of the crankshaft, the severaldistributor arms will be out of phase with one another, so that therewill be a more or less continuous movement of the distributor arms inmoving into excess material on the blanket on the transfer mechanismcover and pushing the excess back toward the bin. This action will notonly remove excess material, but will distribute the vines so that aneven blanket is obtained for movement along the path overlying thetransfer mechanism.

It was mentioned above that the input conveyor is caused to operate bymeans of a drive unit 19. This unit consists of a ratchet 86 mounted onthe end of shaft 18, and a pawl `S17 mounted on a pivot shaft 38 fixedto a lever arm 39 pivotally mounted on shaft 18. The upper end of leverarm 89 is connected by means of a link 9i) to a crank arm 91 carried onthe end of shaft 26. Thus, when shaft 26 is rotated the pawl will becaused to oscillate over the periphery of the ratchet to rotate theratchet intermittently during one phase of its oscillatory movements. Aslong as the pawl is free to engage the ratchet teeth, the advance of theinput conveyor will be in uniform increments. ln order to vary the rateof input conveyor feed, an arcuate shroud 92 is mounted so as Itooverlie a portion of the ratchet. The shroud is mounted between a disk93 and a lever 9d which are positioned on opposite sides of the ratchetand pinned together by pins 95. The disk and lever are mounted forrotation about shaft 18. This will permit movement of the shroudcircumferentially of the ratchet to occlude selected arcuate sections ofratchet teeth. Thus, by movement of the shroud in a counterclockwisedirection, as viewed in FIGURE 9, the leading end of the shroud can bebrought into the oscillatory path of the pawl so that the pawl will belifted from the ratchet teeth and moved over the shroud for apredetermined portion of its oscillatory movement. By reason of thisarrangement, the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet can be variedso as to change the arcuate movement of shaft 18 each oscillation of thepawl. In fact, the shroud can be moved far enough so that the pawl willbe held out of engagement with the ratchet over its full arcuatemovement, and there will be no advance of shaft 1S, and consequently nomovement of the input conveyor.

ln order to control the rate of input conveyor feed in accordance withrequirements to maintain a uniform output from the machine, the positionof the shroud 92 is controlled -by movement of the cover 35 of thetransfer mechansirn. This is accomplished by -means of a link 96connected between disk 93 and one arm of a bell crank lever 97. The bellcrank is pivotally attached, as at 98, to the machine frame, and itsother arm is coupled by a link 99 to one of the suspension str-aps 41which support the lower end of the cover 35. It will be clear, that.

if an excess of vines is fed by the rinput conveyor against thedown-curving end of the cover 35, the pressure against the cover will beincreased and the cover will move rearwardly swinging upon itssuspension straps 4l. The apron 38 will slide over the support 43 as thecover moves rearwardly. This motion will cause the bell crank 97 to rockand the shroud to be moved toward the pawl, so that a portion of theratchet surface normally traversed by .the pawl will be covered by theshroud and the active par-t of the pawl oscillation will be reduced andthe conveyor feed will be slowed down. The degree of conveyordeceleration fwill depend upon the pressure against the transfermechanism cover. It will be obvious that the weight of accumulated vinesacting upon the upper quadrant of the arcuate portion of the cover willalso tend to move the cover rearwardly and slow down the input Ifeed.

During the period of reduced feed the distributor arms will be active inmoving excess quantities of vines forwardly into the bin to hold thequantity moving along the upper surface of the transfer mechanism to aprede- Iterrnined amount. As soon as the excess quantities have `beenused up by the continued uniform movement of the .transfer teeth, thepressure against the cover will be released and the cover will drop backto its nor-mal position which will retract the shroud and per-mit theinput conveyor to resume its normal feed.

There are times when vanes in the bin may be piled to an undesirableheight and therefore unwanted quantities of vines would move toward thedistributor if some means were not employed to prevent it. Undue heightof vines in the -bin adjacent the transfer mechanism will cause excessfeeding if some means is not used to stop the forward movement of thevines until the height can be reduced. To this end, a floating apron 160is provided.

Apron 10d is pivoted at its rear end to the frame by means of a pivotshaft i161, land is hung adjacent its forward end from counterbalancelbeams 102 which are pivoted intermediate their lengths at #103 tostandards 104, fixed to the frame. Pins lttS are mounted at the rear `ofbeams 102 to receive lweights 106 in desired number to supply thenecessary counterbalance force to hold the apron in inoperativeposition. The apron may take `any desired form, but is shown lasconstructed from a plate vl107 which curves upwardly and forwardly fromthe pivot shaft 101 and has a plurality of longitudinally extendingslots 108 through which the lower ends of the distributor arms 76 passand along which they move. A plurality of parallel, transversely spacedcurved buffer strips 109 are connected to the underside of the plate andproject forwardly to provide a cam surface against, and under, which thevine pile may move. The apron is connected by means of a link 1:16 tolever 94 of the input conveyor drive control, so that whenever the vinepile is of sufficient height to lift the `apron the shroud 92 will bemoved toward the pawl path to slow down the input conveyor feed.

It will be seen from the above that control of the input conveyor willbe governed by the pressure and weight of vines against the transfermechanism cover 35 and the height of the vine pile moving toward thetransfer mechanism, or either of these factors singly. Link `96 has aslot 1.11 in which its connection `112 with the disk 93y may ride, andlink has a similar slot 113 for its connecting pin 114 to provide thenecessary lost motion to permit either link to exercise its controlmovement without affecting the other.

It is contemplated that the feeding machine will be powered from thevine processing machine with which it is associated. To this end, achain 115 is provided to extend from a suitable power source on theprocessing machine over a sprocket 116 on a drive shaft 117 mounted atthetop of the frame and extending completely across the frame. At thefar side of the machine from sprocket 116, shaft 117 carries anothersprocket 113 over which a chain 119 passes to drive crankshaft 57 bymeans of a sprocket 120 on the crankshaft. Shaft 117 also carries a gear121 which meshes with a gear 122 on a second driveshaft 123 also mountedon top of the frame and extending completely across the machine. Shaft123 carries a sprocket 124 for chain 125 which drives sprocket 126 onthe transfer mechanism shaft 26. This furnishes power to lboth thetransfer mechanism, and to the input conveyor through the drivemechanism 19. Driveshaft 123 also has a sprocket 127 for chain 128 whichpasses over sprocket 129 on crankshaft 82. This drives the distributor.

In operating the lfeeder, it is put into position adjacent the machineit is to feed with the outlet chute 46 in position to supply vines tothe processing machine. Chain 115 is trained over the proper sprocket onthe processing machine (not shown) and around sprocket 116 on shaft 117and the feeder is ready for use. Vines will be dumped into bin 7 and, ofcourse, a supply of vines must be maintained in the bin. The vines willbe fed through the bin lto the transfer mechanism where they will bepicked up by the fingers 30, carried over the drum 23, along cover 35and dumped into trough 44. As the vines pass over the drum and begintheir passage along the cover, the distributor arms 76 will function tolevel off the mass and return any excess to the bin. When the vines fallinto trough 44, the screw conveyors 56 will move them toward the centerof the machine into the path of the moving ejectors 63. The ejectorswill move in alternation to push the vines out of the feeder through thechute 46. In the event vines accumulate in the chute, or become jammedtherein, the pressure created by movement of the ejectors will cause thevines to press downwardly upon plates 48 and 49, which form the chutefloor, forcing them to swing about their pivots against the bias ofsprings 52 to open the chute bottom and allow the vines to drop out.When the condition is relieved, it is necessary to restore the floorsections manually to their overlapping position before normal operationcan continue.

The above operation will continue as long as the vines are fed normallyfrom the bin to the transfer mechanism, but if the feed Ibecomes toorapid, or too great a quantity of vines are put into the bin, or thedistributors in pushing back the excess build up a pile which tends towork under the apron and would interfere with proper feeding, the inputconveyor will be slowed down, or stopped, as required to correct thesituation, by allowing the transfer means to continue to pick up vinesfrom the excess and feed them at a uniform rate until the excess isgone. Then the control will move back, to return the input conveyor toits normal speed.

FIGURES 10 through 14 illustrate a feeder which is somewhat modified`from the one described, and is dei signed to handle vines in largerquantities and to feed more than one processing machine if desired. Themachine is essentially the same as the one described insofar as the bin,input conveyor, transfer mechanism, distributors, and input conveyorcontrol are concerned and differs from these basic units as previouslydescribed in only four respects: First, the machine is much widerrequiring several input conveyors operating as a unit; second, the crankfor operating the input conveyor drive pawl is no longer on the sameshaft as the transfer mechanism sprockets but a separate one; third, thechain drive arrangement for the several mechanisms is altered; and,fourth, the base `frame of the feeder inclines rearwardly so that thesills are at an angle. As these differences in no way affect the basicconstruction and operation of the respective units, the units will notbe redescribed, but the same parts will be given the same referencenumeral as before, but distinguished by being primed.

In the modified feeder, the vines are handled differently after theyleave the transfer mechanism. In this form, the vines fall from thetransfer mechanism into a trough 130, which lies transversely of themachine beneath the end of the transfer mechanism and projects beyondeach side of the machine. In the bottom of the trough there is aplurality of conveyor chains which are divided into two groups 131 and132. The chains 133 of group 131 pass over sprockets 134 on a shaft 135,near the center of the machine, and sprockets 136 on shaft 137 at oneside of the machine. Chains 138 of group 132 pass over similar sprockets139 on shaft 140 at the machine midsection, and sprockets 141 on shaft142 at the opposite side of the machine. Shafts and 140 are locatedsufficiently close together and the chains of the respective groups arestaggered so that the chains lie in overlapping relation at the centerof the machine. The chains of group 131 carry vine-engaging fingers 143and chains 138 carry similar fingers 144.

If the chain groups, as above described, are driven so that their topights move in opposite directions to feed vines from `the center of themachine to the sides, two processing machines can be fed by having theirdelivery conveyors, indicated in dotted lines at 145 and 146, locatedbeneath the outer ends of the respective chain groups. If both chaingroups are driven in the same direction, all vines in the trough will bemoved to one side of the machine to feed one processing machine.

In order to drive the chains of the two groups to achieve the aboveresults, shafts 135 and 140 carry, respectively, sprockets 147 and 14Sfor chains 149 and 150 which are on sprockets 151 and 152 on shafts 153and 154. Shafts 153 and 154 are stub shafts journalled in a transmissioncasing 155 mounted on the frame beneath the sills 2. These shafts carrybevel gears 156 and 157. A countershaft 158 is journalled in the casingat right angles to shafts 153 and 154 and has a keyway 159 extendingsubstantially its full length. Three bevel gears 160, 161 and 162 areslidably mounted on shaft 158 and keyed to it for rotation with theshaft. Gear 162 is a double gear, and is mounted intermediate gears 156and 157 so that it may be moved into mesh with either of them. Gear 162will drive shafts 153 and 154 in opposite directions due to the factthat it engages gears 156 and 157 on opposite sides. Gears and 161 canbe moved into and out of mesh, respectively, with gears 156 and 157 and,as the engagement is on opposite sides of gears 156 and 157, shafts 153and 154 will be driven in opposite directions when gears 156 and 157 aremoved to meshing positions. Gears 160, 161 and 162 carry annularlygroovcd hubs 163, 164 and 165 to which control handles 166, 167 and 16Sare connected. These handles pass through slots 169, and 171 in thecasing, the slots being elongated in the direction of the shaft 158 sothat when the handles are moved longitudinally of the slots the gears onshaft 158 will be moved along the shaft.

From a study of FIGURES 13 and 14 of the drawings it will be clear thatwhen gears 160 and 161 are in mesh with gears 156 and 157 the chains ofgroups 131 and 132 will be moved in opposite directions to carry vinesto the two sides of the machine. When either gear 160 or 161 is movedout of engagement with its companion gear 156 or 157 and gear 162 movedinto engagement with that gear, vboth sets of chains will move in thesame direction to move vines to one side only of the feeder. The vinescan be moved to either side by proper meshing of the gears.

Shaft 158 carries a sprocket 172 on one end which is driven by chain 173from a sprocket on shaft 175 which carries the pawl actuating crank 91'in this form of the invention. Shaft 175 is driven by chain 176 from thedistributor crankshaft 82. Crankshaft 82 in turn is driven from thetransfer mechanism sprocket shaft 26', which in this construction is thedrive shaft, and is driven by chain 115.

It is believed that the operation of the modified form of the inventionwill be clear from the foregoing description, and no further review willbe necessary.

While in the above practical embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed, it will be understood that the details of construction shownand described are merely by way of illustration, and the invention maytake other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A vine feeding machine comprising, a frame, an input conveyor mountedon the frame, conveyor means to discharge vines from the machine, atransfer mechanism including laterally spaced feed chains havingoperative ights extending from the input conveyor to the dischargeconveyor means, the chains being interconnected by tooth bars eachcarrying a plurality of vine-engaging teeth spaced transversely of themachine, a cover overlying the operative flight of the transfer chainsand having slots through which the vine-engaging teeth project and movealong the operative flight of the chains and forming a platform alongwhich vines may be drawn by movement of the chains, the co-ver beingmounted on the frame for limited movement longitudinally of the frame,means to drive the input conveyor, and means interconnecting the coverand input conveyor means so that movement of the cover affects the speedof operation of the input conveyor, whereby pressure against the coverof excess vine quantity fed by the input conveyor may be utilized toslow the input conveyor speed until the excess is fed 2. A vine feederas claimed in claim 1 wherein the cover mounting on the frame includespivotal connection of the cover at the end adjacent the input conveyorto the lower ends of hanger straps pivotally connected to the frame andsliding support of the end of the cover :adjacent the discharge conveyormeans upon a support member carried .by the frame.

3. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tooth bars arepivotally connected to the chains, and a cam plate underlies the chainsthroughout the operative Hight for contact with the tooth bars to holdthe vineengaging teeth in erected positions projecting through the slotsin the cover.

4. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a floating apronoverlying the adjacent ends of the input conveyor and transfer mechanismand mounted on the frame for vertical floating movement, and meansinterconnecting the apron and the drive means for the input conveyor sothat lifting of the apron by an excess quantity of vines moving towardthe transfer mechanism will reduce the speed of operation of the inputconveyor.

5. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 4 wherein the apron is pivotallyconnected at one end to the frame and has its other end projectingtoward the input conveyor, :and means to counterbalance the apron tocause it to rest in a predetermined position.

6. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 5 wherein there is `a plurality ofdistributor units above the end of the transfer mechanism adjacent theinput conveyor, each unit comprising a distributor bar mounted on theframe for vertical swinging movement longitudinally of the machine and aplurality of distributor arms connected to the `distributor bar forswinging in a vertical plane, and

a crankshaft mounted on the frame and having a plurality of throws, onepivotally connected to each of the respective `distributor arms wherebyupon rotation of the crankshaft the distributor arms will be caused tomove in a circular orbital path.

7. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a distributoroverlying the end of the transfer mechanism adjacent the input conveyoroperable to push excess vines from the transfer mechanism back to theinput conveyor.

8. A vine lfeeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality ofdistributor units above the end of the transfer mechanism adjacent theinput conveyor, each unit comprising a distributor bar mounted on theframe for vertical swinging movement longitudinally of the frame and aplurality of distributor arms connected to the distributor bar forswinging in a vertical plane, and a crankshaft mounted on the frame andhaving a plurality of throws, one pivotally connected to each of therespective distributor arms whereby upon rotation of the crankshaft thedistributor arms will be caused to move in a circular orbital path.

9. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein thc means to move thevines for discharge includes a pair of conveyors arranged transverselyof the machine.

10. A vine feeding machine comprising, a frame, an input conveyormounted on the frame, transfer mechanism to receive vines from the inputconveyor and carry them through the machine, the transfer means havingat least `a member mounted for floating movement, means to drive theinput conveyor, means interconnecting the floating member of thetransfer mechanism and the drive means for the input conveyor so thatpressure of vines against the floating member will control the speed ofthe input conveyor, a `discharge outlet intermediate the sides of themachine adjacent the transfer mechanism, a pair of vine-condensingconveyors to receive vines from the transfer mechanism, the conveyorsbeing located transversely of the machine on opposite sides of thedischarge outlet and movable to transport vines to the outlet, and meansat the outlet -to eject vines from the machine.

11. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 10 wherein the pair ofvine-condensing conveyors include troughs to receive vines `and screwconveyors in the troughs.

12. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 10 wherein there is an emergencydoor adjacent the outlet operable upon excess pressure to permitaccumulated vines to fall from the machine.

13. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 10 wherein the means to ejectvines from the machine comprises an ejector shoe operable in verticalcircular orbit to press down upon vines and push them through thedischarge outlet.

14. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 13 wherein there is a secondejector shoe beside the first and operable in a similar orbit out ofphase with the first.

15. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 14 wherein the pair ofvine-condensing conveyors includes troughs to receive vines and screwconveyors in the trou'ghs.

16. A vine feeding machine comprising, a frame, an input conveyormountedA on the frame, transfer mechanism to receive vines from theinput conveyor and carry them through the machine, the transfer meanshaving at least a member mounted for floating movement, means to drivethe input conveyor, means interconnecting the floating member of thetransfer mechanism and the drive means for the input conveyor so thatpressure of vines against the iloating -member will control the speed ofthe input conveyor, and a pair of conveyors extending transversely ofthe machine to receive vines from the transfer mechanism, the pair ofconveyors having their ends in close adjacency to provide anuninterrupted conveying system and their opposite ends projecting beyondthe sides of the machine for feeding separate machines.

17. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 16 wherein there is means to drivethe said pair of conveyors and to change the direction of operativemovement of the said pair of conveyors.

18. A vine feeder as claimed in claim 16 wherein there is means to drivethe said pair of conveyors, and means manually operable to cause thepair of conveyor drive means to move the said pair of conveyors to carryvines to both sides of the machine and to one selected side of themachine.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 952,520Hamachek Mar. 22, 1910 2,606,559 Maus Aug. 12, 1952 2,797,795 West c-July 2, 1957 2,842,255 Jarrell July 8, 1958

